The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine, undertook two engagements in the Lake District. The visit highlighted the beneficial, lifelong impact that nature and the outdoors can have on young people.
Watch: Kate has arrived at Lake Windermere where she’s taking a ride on the magnificent Osprey boat with two of the Windermere Children who came here after the Holocaust in 1945 #duchessofcambridge #princesskate #katemiddleton pic.twitter.com/YZudBLWUHs
— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) September 21, 2021
As the Honorary Air Commandant of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, The Duchess of Cambridge met with the group of Air Cadets at the RAF Air Cadets’ Windermere Adventure Training Centre.
The visit marked the re-opening of the RAF Air Cadets’ Windermere Adventure Training Centre following a £2m refit. The centre will enable hundreds of cadets from across the UK to be able to visit the Lake District each year and take part in a wide variety of activities, allowing them to build their confidence and leadership skills and achieve their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. You might remember The Duchess herself participated and won the Duke of Edinburgh Award before becoming a member of the Royal family.
About the visit, Palace said, “The Duchess of Cambridge passionately believes that spending time outdoors plays a pivotal role in children and young people’s future health and happiness, building foundations that last over a lifetime by encouraging active exploration and the opportunity to form and strengthen positive relationships.”
The Duchess of Cambridge participated in various outdoor activities like Mountain biking and abseiling with the cadets to enjoy the scenic view of the Lake District. The Duchess has been a long-standing champion of the positive impacts of spending time outdoors on mental health. We all remember the Back to Nature Garden that Catherine designed in 2019 for RHS Chelsea Flower Show. From Hello! report,
Thirteen-year-old Itelouwa Odipe, from Lancaster, spoke to the Duchess as she waited to try abseiling. He said: “She was about to abseil and I was next in line so she asked me if I wanted to go before her. I was a bit scared so I said no.
“She said if I did she would meet me down there.”
The teenager spoke to her again after deciding not to brave the drop. “She said it was really good and I should try it,” he said.
“I think she was very kind. Even though she is a royal highness she still does things normal humans do.” The Duchess asked the teenagers about the activities they took part in and how the pandemic had affected their mental health. She said of the activities: “It’s so great to have these challenges.”
Fergus Ripley, 16, from Lancaster, said: “It was a fantastic experience to talk to Her Royal Highness. It was great to see her get involved.”
Later, she joined two Windermere children, a group of 300 child Holocaust survivors for a boat ride on an Osprey boat. The group is called Windermere children because, in August 1945, a coachload of children arrive at the Calgarth Estate by Lake Windermere Carrying only the clothes they wear and a few meagre possessions and stayed in the Lake District after the war following the atrocities they endured in concentration camps and the ghettos of Nazi-occupied Europe.
During the boat trip, Catherine heard about the ways in which their time in the lakes and the innovative support that they received at the Calgarth Estate, including outdoor recreation, sport and art therapy, allowed them to be able to begin to heal from the trauma of their childhood experiences.
After the boat ride, Palace tweeted, “I wanted to be able to meet some of the survivors Ike & Arek in person to hear their stories; about how they went on to create their own companies, write a book & to this day, still sneak in the odd round of golf. It was so powerful to hear how their time in the Lakes enjoying outdoor recreation, sport and art therapy, allowed them to be able to begin to rebuild their lives and eventually, their families here in the UK“.
The Duchess wanted to be able to meet some of the survivors in person and hear their stories, having previously learnt about the history of the Windermere Children.
The last stop of the day was the Jetty Museum, where she met relatives of survivors who spoke about how their loved ones’ time in Cumbria helped them to go on to build successful lives in the UK. The Duchess also learnt about the work of the Lake District Holocaust Project to document and educate the public about the experiences of the Windermere Children.
In January 2020, The Duchess of Cambridge took photographs of Holocaust survivors Stephen Frank and Yvonne Bernstein and their grandchildren in order to mark 75 years since the end of the Holocaust. The images are now on display at the Imperial War Museum as part of the Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors exhibition, which has been produced in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society, Jewish News and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Coming to The Duchess of Cambridge Style – She chose a casual, comfortable and chic look for the outdoors day.
For her visit to the RAF centre, The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing her Seeland ‘Hawker’ Pine Green Quilt Jacket that we first saw in January 2020.
When she arrived for the Windermere boat ride, The Duchess of Cambridge changed her puffer jacket with Really Wild Clothing Ivy Green Belted Jacket. Thanks to royal.Family_93 on Twitter for the id.
The Duchess of Cambridge brought back her See by Chloe Leather-Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots
and her Liv Thurlwell gold bobble hoops.
Nest Tuesday, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will join The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for the world premiere of the new James Bond movie ‘No Time To Die’.
Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter on Saturday 18th September 2021, at 23.42, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.
Read the announcement in full – https://t.co/ImbfRLEdAe pic.twitter.com/olwDMv3Zmo
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 20, 2021
In happy news, Princess Beatrice of York gave birth to a daughter on Sunday. The Palace announced yesterday morning that mother and daughter are happy and healthy. Huge Congratulations to the Happy parents.
